


Take Me Home, Country Road

by AmeliaDarkholme



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 11:30:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18799471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaDarkholme/pseuds/AmeliaDarkholme
Summary: Morgana Lafayette is one of New York’s best soprano singer. At the ripe age of 25, she’s achieved so much already. But when her sister Morgause drags her along in an adventure to escape the police from charges of being a drug dealer, Morgana has no choice but to leave her glamorous life behind to hide with her sister in Butler, Tennessee as a country singer for a rundown pub.





	Take Me Home, Country Road

**Author's Note:**

> This story was actually my assignment for my Creative Writing class. It is based on the Indonesian movie "Suddenly Dangdut" (2006), directed by Rudi Soedjarwo. It’s one of my favourite non-Hollywood movies, and I thought that I’d give it a try to adapt it into a one-shot, set in America in 2008. But I love this story so much, so I decided to tweak a few things here and there to make it into a Merlin fanfiction. Also, credits to John Denver for the title of the story.

The distance between New York City to Butler, Tennessee was around six hundred and thirteen miles. It would take them almost ten hours to get there. Morgana would have preferred them taking a flight to get them to their destination, which would have taken them only three to four hour at most. But when you were a fugitive accused of drug dealing, going by plane was definitely out of question. They had no other choice but to take bus rides – _two_ bus rides. The first route was from New York to Roanoke, Virginia for over seven hours. Then they had to take another bus for almost three hours to take them to Butler. To say that Morgana was upset was an understatement of the century – _nay,_ the bloody millenium.

 

“I hate you,” Morgana told her sister. “This is all your fault.”

 

For the umpteenth time that night, Morgause sighed heavily and said, “Just get some sleep.”

 

When Morgause shifted around to turn and face the window, Morgana took the chance to stick her tongue out at her older sister. Grudgingly admitting that her sister was right, Morgana closed her eyes for some shut-eye.

 

She wished she could change the last twenty-four hours.

Morgana Lafayette was one of New York’s best soprano. She graduated rather early from Julliard, and was immediately offered the spot as the reserve singer for one of the top concerto group in New York. She was only twenty one then. It didn’t take her long to become the main singer. By the time she was twenty five, she became the main performer for the Metropolitan Opera. She was quite possibly one of the youngest singers, and she took great pride in it. Morgana was always the smart one in the family, also the pretty one. From the day she was old enough to learn things, her parents were always so proud of her and would show her off to their friends. She was the pride and jewel of her parents.

 

The same, however, couldn’t be said about her older sister. Morgause was the older one of the Lafayette sisters, being older by five years. She always came short compared to her sister, who was literally, the epitome of perfection in everyone’s eyes _._ While Morgause favoured their father in looks with her dull blond hair and dull brown eyes, Morgana took after their mother with her breath-taking pale skin that fit her luscious dark hair and stunning green eyes. Although people always told Morgause that she _was_ pretty, there was just something about Morgana that made her looked almot ethereal. Morgause lost count on how many times people pointed the fact that Morgana resembled a real life Snow White. The older Lafayette sister was nowhere as talented as Morgana either. She wasn’t dumb – _oh no_ , Morgause was, in fact, rather brilliant. She really was. But it was more because Morgana was just so _perfect,_ that Morgause would always seem less impressive compared to her sister.

 

Both sisters were head-strong, independet, _stubborn_ young women. However, Morgause was always the more rebellious one between the two sisters – hence her insistence to not continue her education after high school. Their parents were respected members of New York elites, and they made it known that they disapproved of Morgause’s refusal to take a degree and her free-spirited way of life. They told her that she could choose anything she wanted, as long as she went to college. But it was during the rebellious phase of her puberty years, and Morgause had enough of her parents. It was why her parents practically kicked her out of their house. Morgause didn’t care though. For the first time in her life, she was _free_. There would be no more of her parents’ telling her what to do and what not to do. She made the most of her freedom for the next six years, working as a waitress to spite her parents as she did whatever she’d always wanted to do but not allowed to by her parents. Waitressing didn’t make much money, true. But at least it was more than enough for her. She was twenty six when she decided to change her life around.

 

Everyone thought that the reason Morgause took night classes was because of Morgana nailing the position as the reserve singer just shortly after her graduation from Julliard. That was _so_ wrong. The truth was, she wanted to change because she met _him;_ Cenred King, the love of her life who walked into the café she worked at, dressed in worn-down hoodie and ripped-jeans. He was everything her parents hated about in a man. But he was the one who showed her that she too had a chance to be _someone._ She always wanted to be a journalist, but because she was always under the impression that everything she did would never garner the response she always wanted to get from anyone, she never thought of pursuing her dream. Because of Cenred, she realised that she could do anything she wanted. Her parents didn’t say much when she finished her school, but it wasn’t anything new to her so she didn’t mind about it.

 

Despite their parents’ obvious unfairness in treating the both of them, at least Morgause still had Morgana and Cenred who cared enough for her. That was all that mattered.

“Mogsy, I’m hungry,” Morgana whined, using the childhood nickname she had for her older sister, back when she couldn’t pronounce the blonde’s name. “And I’m tired. And _hungry._ I want to sleep.”

 

“Let’s find somewhere safe first, okay? Besides, didn’t you sleep on the bus?” Morgause answered, eyes set on the map she just bought.

 

“ _But that hardly counts!_ I need to sleep on a proper bed. I have a show in four days. I can’t afford looking like a troll for my show.”

 

Morgause scoffed a mirthless chuckle as she folded the map and stuffed it into the pocket of her jeans. “ _Wow,_ Gana. You actually think you’re _still_ going to your show on Sunday? Did you hit your head on the way here and forget what just happened?”

 

“Of course not,” Morgana spat, crossing her arms in front of chest. “I remember _perfectly_ what happened in the past twenty-four hours. Your idiotic, crack-addict of a boyfriend just bailed on us after leaving eleven pounds of coke in our car. And because of that bastard, we’re now on the run for something we _don’t_ do.”

 

Morgause knew she couldn’t say anything to counter everything Morgana said – _because they were all true._ It was because of her boyfriend that they were hunted by the police. But she was so sick and tired of her sister _always_ painting herself as the innocent victim. The older sister was about to give her sister a piece of her mind when suddenly, the door to the pub their bus dropped them off was pushed opened. Out came a man who looked to be around their age, wearing plaids and  jeans that he paired off with cowboy boots and a neckerchief. Behind him, a brunette bombshell came following him, her dolled-up face would have looked pretty if she didn’t look like she could spit fire.

 

“You selfish _jerk!”_ the woman yelled at the man in a thick Southern accent. “I sing my throat sore almost every night, and you give me _only_ a eighty bucks? I need my raise, Merlin.”

 

“What raise? This isn’t a stupid office and you’re not a secretary who can ask for a raise. You’re a _singer_ , Sophia,” the man said, his accent even thicker than the woman.

 

“That’s right, I’m a singer, you cheap bastard. So you better give me a raise or I’ll quit. And if I quit, no one will ever listen to your music again. They come to hear me sing, remember? Not to listen to your crappy guitar-playing.”

 

The man, Merlin, snorted a condescending laugh. “You’re delusional. It’s called _Emrys’ Band._ Not _Sophia’s._ And since Emrys is my name, of course, it’s all because of me.”

 

“Then I quit,” Sophia hissed. “And good luck on finding a quick replacement for me in a snap.”

 

And with Sophia’s angry departure, an idea came into Morgause’s mind.

 

“Hey, mister!” the older Lafayette called Merlin, who was about to get back inside the pub.

 

“Morgause, what are you doing?” Morgana whispered, pulling at her sister’s hand. But Morgause ignored her.

 

“Uh, yes?” Merlin answered, cocking an eye brow. “What is it, miss?”

 

Pulling off her best, promoter smile, Morgause said, “Do you need a singer?”

Morgana’s career was hitting off far sooner than anyone expected. Well, anyone but Morgana. She always knew that she’d be a big star before she was twenty five since the moment she found out that people liked to hear her sing. The first time she got her big break was when the Met Opera General Manager saw her sang and asked her whether she was interested to play the part of Musetta in the opera _La Boheme._ She was only twenty-three then. She’d sang quite enough with her concerto group to realise that when a General Manager of the Met asked her to join the ranks of the greats from the Met, you didn’t say no to him. She spent the rest of her year practising for her role, and by the time September rolled in, she sang her heart out as Musetta, surprising all of the audiences. Her performance garnered positive reviews which said that her scene-stealing part was a huge stepping-stone for her. She knew she’d done a great job when the General Manager gave her the script for her next part; the role of Pamina in the opera _The Magic Flute._

But it wasn’t until she was twenty five when her life reached its peak. Everyone was so impressed with her performance as Pamina that she ended up getting the role that had always been her life-long dream. It was a great honour for her to play the title role of the Chinese princess from the opera _Turandot._ She worked really hard, acing all of her songs during practise. Then she was also offered to do advertisements for some of the world-class brands because, unlike most soprano singer, Morgana used to a bit of modelling here and there back before she considered a singing career. She took the offer too, which made her already-busy schedule even tighter. That was the point in her life that Morgana realised she needed a little help. She needed a personal assistant of sort to help her manage her activities. She knew she couldn’t just ask anyone though. She needed to find someone that she could trust.

 

And who else would fit the job perfectly other than her own sister?

 _“Are you insane?_ I can’t sing a country song!” Morgana said loudly to Morgause as her older sister helped her to change into something more presentable than the wrinkled and slightly smelly clothes she’d worn for almost two days.

 

“Just make sure you don’t do your usual hitting-high-notes thing, sis. I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Morgause said, passing her sister the change of clothes. “And remember; your name is Maggie Lewis. _Not_ Morgana Lafayette.”

 

Morgana was barely listening to her sister. “I’m a soprano, Morgause. I sing songs like _One Fine Day_ from _Madam Butterfly._ Not something as mediocre as _Island and Ice Scream_.”

 

“It’s called _Islands in the Stream,_ and I’ll have you know a lot of these country-song lovers are going to get really offended if you get the title wrong. Besides, you know the song. Mum loves to listen to it all the time, remember? Mum’s a big fan of Dolly Parton.”

 

“Yeah, but I never really pay attention to it. Too busy practising to sing for the opera, which is my – “

 

“Oh, for the love of _God_ , just do it!” Morgause snapped. “Go out there and sing _Islands in the Stream,_ or get sentenced to death for drug dealing. Your pick, Morgana.”

 

Morgana pouted. Her sister rarely lost her patience with her, so she always hated it when Morgause yelled at her. When the cowboy Merlin knocked on the rest-room door to tell her to be ready, she gave a dramatic groan as she made her way onto the stage, but not before flipping her sister the finger. She looked at her outfit, scowling at the cheap blouse and jeans-skirt she was wearing. As an opera singer, she was used to wearing fancy dresses that was her costume for her roles when she was singing. The dresses felt like they gave her power. She really hated wearing tacky outfits whenever she had to sing. But she had no choice. Taking deep breaths to ready herself, the tall blonde then got on stage with her usual programmed smile.

 

“Hello, everyone!” Morgana greeted, giving a charming smile. “My name is Maggie Lewis. Tonight, I’m going to sing one of our all-time favourite song, _Islands in the Stream._ Hit it, Merlin!”

 

“Yeah!” most of the crowd cheered. Some of them even whistled their approval.

 

Merlin Emrys signalled his band members to follow his lead to begin. Morgana was thankful that they were singing a song that she was familiar with, and that Merlin would start the song by singing Kenny Rogers’ part first. She couldn’t help herself when she was reminded of her childhood when the first few notes of the tune began to play. However, it took her completely off guard when she heard Merlin’s voice. She was rather impressed at how good the man actually was.

 

_“Baby when I met you, there was peace unknown. I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb. I was soft inside, there was something going on.”_

She had to admit, she was a little bit nervous when her part, where she would sing together with Merlin, came. It was only after seeing her sister’s face in the crowd that she calmed down a little and began to sing. “ _You do something to me, that I can't explain. Hold me closer, and I feel no pain. Every beat of my heart, we got something goin' on._ ”

 

Morgana had been in the singing business for a long time, even before she became a soprano. She’d participated in a lot of competitions, and took part in school plays. Each time she performed, she remembered that Morgause was _always_ there for her, a familiar and supportive face in the crowd of judgemental people. She never looked at her parents when she sang because their ridiculously high expectation of her got her nervous most of the time. But Morgause, who always beamed at her with all the pride she had in her slender figure, was the source of Morgana’s courage. Therefore, it was purely out of habit when she turned toward her sister, who gave her thumbs-up and a huge smile, when she finished her first part. It went on like that throughout the song. By the time the song was nearing the end, Morgana had relaxed a great deal.

 

_“Islands in the stream, that is what we are. No one in between, how can we be wrong. Sail away with me, to another world. And we rely on each other, uh huh. From one lover to another, uh huh...”_

“Give it up to our lovely new singer – Miss Maggie Lewis!” Merlin said to the audience, earning a round of applause from the crowd.

 

“Thank you! Thank you!” Morgana said, taking a bow.

 

“I’ll see you and your sister in awhile,” Merlin said in a low voice, his smile never dropping.

 

Even though she didn’t like being told what to do, Morgana did as she was told, albeit grudgingly. She went off to Morgause, who was waiting by the bar with a smile on her face and two glasses of cocktail. Giving one to the younger Lafayette, Morgause then said, “Good job, sis. You were really great. Honest.”

 

“Thanks,” Morgana replied, also smiling as she took her drink. “It was kind of easy after awhile. I mean, we all know I’m a great singer. There’s _nothing_ I can’t do.”

 

“Hm,” Morgause hummed, her smile dropping a little. “I think you need to tone down the attitude a little bit, Gana. We’re laying low, remember?”

 

“So what? It’s the universal truth.”

 

“What’s the universal truth? That you can’t carry a tune in a bucket?” Merlin piped in, suddenly appearing behind the two girls.

 

The glare Morgana aimed at Merlin was murderous as she practically hissed, _“Excuse me?”_

 

“Hey, I’m just pulling your leg, doll,” Merlin chuckled, raising his hand in mock-surrender. “Well, not really. I mean, you do sound like someone who sings often, but you definitely don’t sound like a country singer.”

 

Morgana would have said something terribly rude, but the nudge Morgause gave her reminded the soprano not to. Literally biting on her tongue to stop herself from saying something she’d regret, Morgana decided to ask the important question instead. “Where’s my payment, cowboy?”

 

“Oh, right. I almost forgot.” The man reached to his back pocket, pulled out his wallet and pinched a five ten-dollar bills that he gave to Morgana with a wide, innocent smile that made him looked so much younger than his actual age, especially paired off with his big blue eyes ridiculous ears. “There you go, miss.”

 

Morgana would have found him cute if her attention wasn’t set on the money in her hands.

 

“ _Fifty?”_ Morgana spat, looking murderous as she eyed the money in her hand. “You must be joking, right? You paid that Sephia eighty!”

 

“It’s _Sophia_ – “

 

“Whatever!”

 

“ – and that’s for starters. I’ll pay you more when you can sing the songs better.”

 

_“What do you mean ‘starters’, you manipulative asshole!”_

 

“MARGARET!” Morgause yelled, covering her sister’s mouth with her hand. “Shut up. Just…shut up, okay? And Mr Emrys, can I – “

 

“Call me Merlin,” the man quipped.

 

“Right. Merlin, can I talk to my sister for a sec?”

 

“Sure. Anything for you two pretty ladies.” Morgana scowled when Merlin gave Morgause a wink before leaving to give them some privacy. Noticing her sister, she was downright disgusted at the way Morgause blushed faintly.

 

“You’re unbelievable,” Morgana commented, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

 

The comment sobered Morgause up a little. She cleared her throat to take control of the situation. “Sis, when you were getting ready, I told Merlin that you’d be his permanent singer as long as he gave us somewhere to live with minimal fee. He agreed and told me that we could stay at the inn his mother owned. He said he’d only take four hundred dollars from your payment every month. That is, if you agree to sing for his band from Friday to Sunday every week.

 

“Let me get this straight; if I agree to sing for his band three days a week, he’ll pay me and let us live in his mother’s inn for four hundred bucks a month?”

 

“Yeah… What do you say, sis? Will you do it?”

 

“Are you sure there’s no other way?”

 

“I swear to you, if there was any other way, I’d never make you do this.”

 

Morgana looked straight into her sister’s eyes, so different than her own. She saw the hopeful look in her sister’s eyes, and her heart softened. All her life, Morgause was always doing things for her, always taking care of her. She knew it was about time she did something in return. Sighing heavily, the soprano nodded her head.

 

“Alright, I’ll do it. _But_ you have to talk him into giving me more than fifty,” Morgana said quickly when Morgause let out a squeal in delight, pulling her into a hug. “What are we going to eat with fifty, sis? We need him to pay me more.”

 

“You leave that to me,” Morgause said, smiling. “Don’t worry your pretty head about that, okay? You just worry about learning how to be a proper country-singer. I’ll do the rest.”

 

Morgana smiled lovingly at her sister. Sweet and reliable Morgause… Always so ready to take care of the both of them. Morgana really couldn’t imagine a life without her sister taking care of her.

Morgause had sent her application letters to a lot of newspaper companies. It had been four months, and she hadn’t heard anything in return from them. She tried sending some of her writings to get them posted on the newspapers, but there were no news _(hah!)_ about them either. Morgause had started to get a little antsy. She didn’t want to admit it but she really hoped that she could do it. She really hoped that she could finally be a journalist. But when the fourth month ended and the fifth month came, Morgause was starting to lose hope. She knew that the competition to be a journalist was tough. There was also the fact that she was probably older than most of the younger fresh-graduates applicants.

 

She wouldn’t have been so worried if she hadn’t made such a huge mistake though. Morgause was too confident in her own abilities that she quit her job as a waitress the day she sent her application letters. She should have known better than to do something so stupidly arrogant. But she’d made her bed, and now she had to lie in it. “ _There was no use in crying over spilled milk_ , _young lady,”_ her father would no doubt say if he knew what she’d done. Morgause had no choice but to make sure that she wasn’t spending too much until she received some news about her application. It was in her sixth month, when she was practically dead poor, that life decided to be kinder to her. Help finally came, in the form of her own sister.

 

One day, Morgana called her and asked whether they could talk. Obviously, Morgause said yes, even before she knew that her sister was going to offer her some help. It wasn’t like Morgana knew how broke Morgause was anyway. The older Lafayette tried to keep everything that happened in her life a secret, to avoid her parents finding out. So when her sister turned out to be asking her to be the soprano’s personal assistant of sort, Morgause felt like someone out there knew that she was neck-deep in trouble. The younger Lafayette told her that she would pay Morgause to work for her, just momentarily, until she found a proper personal assistant. The blonde immediately agreed to Morgana’s offer, knowing that it was the perfect solution to her predicament. While she waited for her call-backs, she could take care of her sister and this time, she was paid to do that.

 

“I’ll do it,” Morgause said. “I can’t let some stranger take care of my baby sister now, can I?”

 

“Well, yeah,” Morgana said, grinning slightly. “Who knows me better than my own sister?”

 

Morgause laughed, feeling a few pounds lighter for the first time since her hellish six months.

“ _You feel up my senses, like a night in a forest. Like the mountains in spring time, like a walk in the – “_

“No, no, no… Not like that. You don’t do that kind of singing with _Annie’s Song._ No screeching, yeah? Just do it like your normally do.”

 

“I _normally_ sing like that, you prick. The ‘screeching’ you call is the way I sing.”

 

“Then you sing _terribly._ John Denver would scream if he heard you… Christ, you’re not some uppity, New Yorker, opera singer, are you?”

 

“ _NO!_ I- I mean, I’m not. Nope. Definitely not. I just… I just have high vocal chords, is all.”

 

“Okay, no need to holler at me… Alright, we’ll do this again. And, oh ,Maggie? No screeching.”

 

Morgana rolled her eyes but held her tongue. When Merlin played the intro on his guitar, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself and make sure that she remembered to sing the song the country-way, not the opera-way. She always thought that just because she was a brilliant singer, she could pull off singing any kind of songs. She was dead wrong on that. There was something about country songs that made it hard for her to ace the songs like she usually did with a lot of songs she sang. There was a certain swing in the way the tune was carried, and as a soprano, she wasn’t familiar with it. But Morgana didn’t get to where she was not without a lick of hard-work. No matter how many times she had to practise the songs with Merlin, she’d keep on trying and never give up.

 

Besides learning how to sing like a country singer, Morgana also learned a lot of country songs. John Denver, Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, LeAnne Rimes… She had all of their songs memorised in a matter of weeks. Some of the songs she’d known from her mother’s collection, such as _Knockin on Heavens’ Door_ and _You’re Still the One,_ although she never really paid attention back then when she was a child. She was a bit surprised when she found that she liked a lot of the songs. Her personal favourite was _Calypso_ from John Denver, because the song had aspects that reminded her of the opera songs that she was more familiar with. Other than the old legends, she also learned new country songs from singers such as Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. After a few weeks of being stuffed with country songs, Morgana had a new appreciation toward them.

 

When she wasn’t practising, she’d spend her time with her sister at the pub _Gaius’ Hut_ that Merlin’s uncle owned, where Morgause worked the day shift as a waitress to add more income. While her sister worked, Morgana would pick one of the tables, and sat there alone for the remainder of the day until Morgause finished her shift. Sometimes, when he wasn’t working at a workshop nearby, Merlin would come with his nephew, a boy around twelve years old named Mordred. The boy’s mother, Merlin’s cousin who was named Freya, was rarely home, working as a clerk in a financial consultant agency in Nashville. Most of the time, little Mordred spent his time helping out Merlin so he wouldn’t bother his Grandpa Gaius, Merlin’s uncle and Freya’s father, tending the guests of his pub. That was probably why the boy had a potty mouth, his crude impudence came from lack of teaching and the result of hanging out with Merlin and his work friends and band mates – like that absolute menace Gwaine Lot who always flirted with Morgana whenever they crossed paths.

 

The first time Morgana met Mordred, it took every ounce of will power for her _not_ to smack the boy for running his mouth. It took quite sometime to get used to it, seeing that Morgana wasn’t only raised as part of the higher social class, she was also used to certain etiquette as a soprano. It helped that she later found out about the lack of his mother’s presence in his life. In a way, the poor boy was practically raised by Merlin alone, seeing that Gaius was often too busy with his inn. However, whenever Morgana felt like being nice to the boy, the way she often saw her sister was with him, Mordred would quip something really obnoxious to her. Then Morgana would forget her original intention and chased the brat out, who laughed joyously as he ran as fast as he could.

 

“Hi, Miss Maggie,” Mordred greeted her that day when she was just coming down for breakfast in the kitchen. It was Friday, meaning that she’d have to go to work that night.

 

“Hey, squirt,” Morgana replied, sitting beside the boy.

 

“Thanks for watching _Hannah Montana_ with me. Didn’t think I’d like it, but I do.” The boy just confessed the other day that he had a huge crush on Miley Cyrus the other day, so the sisters decided to watch the movie with him. Although she herself wasn’t a fan of the girl, it didn’t mean that Morgana didn’t know how popular the actress-slash-singer’s TV series were.

 

“Don’t mention it, kid,” she replied, ruffling the boy’s hair as she took a seat beside him.

 

“And I think she has nicer rack than – “

 

Pointing a finger at the little punk, Morgana narrowed her eyes and said, “Don’t even think about finishing that sentence, you creepy little pervert.”

 

Mordred stuck is tongue out, laughing when Morgana gave him a light pinch. “Okay, okay! I get it, lady. I’ll keep my trap shut now.”

 

“Good boy.” Morgana took a slice of bread and covered it with jam, looking around the kitchen as she munched it silently. After awhile, she asked, “Where’s Suzy? You seen my sister anywhere, kid?”

 

“Fees gong to meffin hose,” the boy said with his mouthful, his thick accent sounded thicker.

 

“Swallow ‘em all first, kid,” Morgana reprimanded. “And then you talk.”

 

The blonde soprano couldn’t help it when she smiled at the way Mordred quickly swallowed. He really was a cute kid, if he wasn’t being a complete pain in the ass. “She’s gone to Merlin’s house. Took a whole lotta loaf of bread with her, and my favourite chocolate jam, too.”

 

When the boy pouted, Morgana felt like pouting as well. She was quite aware of Morgause’s attraction toward Merlin. It was fuelled by the cowboy’s outrageous flirting as well, and added with with Merlin’s cute smile that lit up his whole stupid face, Morgause fell for it hook and sinker. The older woman always found herself falling for guys easier than Morgana did – and it _infuriated_ the soprano that her sister was willing to go through the same stupid cycle that had gotten them in the hell they were in now. She got that Merlin was really easy to look at, with his pretty blue eyes, his curly hair that looked artfully messy, and attractive pale skin that made his sharp facial features even sharper. But it didn’t change the fact that Morgause was an idiot who didn’t learn from her mistakes, even if Merlin looked nothing like Cenred. Losing her appetite, Morgana decided to go visit the cowboy and her sister. She bade Mordred farewell and made her way to Merlin’ house, which was just a couple blocks away. The gentle melody of a guitar was heard even before she entered the house. Her scowl deepened, and Morgana pushed inside. She needed to protect her sister because she just _knew_ that Merlin wasn’t good.

 

Besides, she _really_ had to practise for the night.

The final song ended. The curtains rolled down. The lights went back to normal. And silence.

 

Silence, before…

 

_A huge round of applause._

 

Morgause was so proud of her sister. She was quite possibly the youngest member of the Met, and yet Morgana was probably one of the best. After all, the dark-haired beauty scored the lead role. As Morgana’s unofficial personal assistant, Morgause had the honour of a free-ticket, courtesy of her sister. She’d appreciate it if Morgana had given an extra one for Cenred, but she knew how the soprano disliked her boyfriend. It wasn’t like Cenred would enjoy it anyway. So, it wasn’t exactly a huge loss. Morgause herself wasn’t really a huge fan of operas, if she was to be truthful. But she went because she wanted to see her brilliant sister doing something she was always so passionate about. All around her, Morgause noticed how everyone was impressed at how someone so young to be able to do something so spectacular. The fact that Morgana was the most beautiful opera singer in the Met – probably in the _world –_ made her even more impressive to the audience as well as critics. Morgause even heard someone saying that they’d be offering Morgana movie roles next. Words couldn’t explain how proud she was.

 

When she saw Morgana was going to head backstage, Morgause quickly left her audience seat so she could help her sister. She held on to a prop when she nearly tripped over her own foot, grimacing at the thought how everything would be worse during premiere night. If there was one thing she hated about watching her sister’s show, it was the fact that she had to wear a dress too if she was to watch Morgana’s performance. At least she only watched them once, usually during the premiere night. For the rest of the season, from September to May, Morgause mostly spent her time going back-and-forth from Morgana’s changing room and the backstage. She thanked God that they only had one more month to go until the end of the season, which meant Morgana had two more shows left. Then, she was given two months of break before she had to start the cycle again. But by then, hopefully, Morgause had gotten a job. She’d finally gotten a call for an interview to be one the journalist for a small magazine. She’d gone to the interview, and was waiting for news about whether she got the job or not. Morgause was pretty confidence though. She felt like she’d done really great during the interview.

 

Morgana was waiting for her when she came into the younger Lafayette’s changing-room. Carefully, Morgause helped her sister in taking off the heavy Chinese royal gown that she wore, as well as the huge head-dress that was too heavy to be humanly possible, in Morgause’s opinion. Two women came in, who were the make-up and costume artist, and they helped Morgause to get Morgana out of the many layers of her costume. It took nearly fifteen minutes but in the end, they were done with the painstaking process of undressing. The two women then left to tidy up the costume and the head-dress while Morgause went to deal with the press and fans, leaving Morgana to wipe her make-up off all by herself. It was almost half an hour later when Morgause returned to Morgana’s changing room, hugging a huge bouquet of flowers as she used her back to push the door so she could get in.

 

“I’ve rescheduled all of your press conference to be next week, okay. I know you must be tired… And here’s another flower for you, sis,” Morgause added as she came into the changing room, noticing the many flowers the maintenance guys had probably delivered before she did. “It’s from our cousin, Arthur. Where do you want me to put it?”

 

“Throw it out,” Morgana answered, barely lifting her eyes off her phone. “I hate roses.”

 

“Morgana, don’t be rude,” Morgause reprimanded.

 

“What? It’s only Arthur,” the soprano said defensively. “He’s like, the richest bachelor in New York, even without Uncle Uther’s money. Youngest actor to ever win an Oscar for Best Actor, remember?”

 

Morgause could only sigh at her sister. Success had changed Morgana’s attitude into an arrogant and demeaning woman. Even thought she had to admit that since they were both only children, Morgana had always looked down to people she deemed unworthy because they weren’t as smart as she was. “It doesn’t mean you can be rude to him though. No matter who gives it, you have to appreciate it, even if it’s only our cousin.”

 

Morgana rolled her eyes. “I don’t care. I hate roses. It’s so basic and… _tacky_. Throw it out. In fact, throw all the stupid flowers out too. I’m sick of them.”

 

“Gana – “

 

“I thought you were supposed to be my personal assistant?”

 

Biting her lip, Morgause had no choice but to oblige. She hated it when Morgana treated her as an inferior, but she really didn’t feel like arguing with her. So she did as she was told. Morgause called for the maintenance guys to help her, telling them to give the flowers to the other singers or band members. It took them almost half an hour to get all of the flowers out. By the time they were done, Morgana had finally taken her eyes off her phone, slinging her bag over her shoulder, and had demanded on Morgause to take her home. The older of the two nodded and led her sister to the parking lot, where Morgause’s boyfriend Cenred was waiting for them. Morgause beamed at her boyfriend, and would have greeted him properly with a kiss, when Morgana petulantly placed herself between the two of them.

 

“Keep the mushy stuff later when I’m not around,” Morgana snapped. “And dude, there’s no way in hell you’re driving my car. You either sit in the back or walk. Do it.”

 

Cenred rolled his eyes but did as he was told. He couldn’t stop himself from muttering what a huge pain Morgana was. Giving her boyfriend a sheepish grin, Morgause decided she needed to talk about it sometime with her sister. It was never a secret that Morgana didn’t like the unemployed, ear-pierced, and tattooed Cenred King. He was the complete opposite of Morgana, and the singer never stopped telling her sister about her opinion regarding Morgause’s choice of boyfriend. The countless times before, Morgause always kept her mouth shut about it. But enough was enough.

 

She needed to stand up for herself and Cenred if they wanted to get married.

 _(“What do you want, sis? Nothing’s changed, remember? You’re still the superstar. It’s still your show. And I’m… I’m still the stupid sister who is always no more than your maid. Still the sister who does_ everything _for you, even if you never appreciate it.”)_

 

Morgana took a seat on the stool that Merlin usually sat on. It was two in the morning, and there was no one in the pub but her. The pub closed at ten, but the workers cleared out around an hour later, including most of the band members. The only ones who stayed behind was Morgana, Morgause and Merlin, who was entrusted with the key by his uncle. The cowboy treated them for a round of drinks to congratulate Morgana because that night, their performance was better than they ever were before. Things were a little bit tense though, between Morgana and Morgause, but they tried their best to humour Merlin. Ever since Morgana’s attempt to block any of Merlin’ advances to Morgause by taking all of the cowboy’s time to ‘practise’, Morgause had been acting crazy in her jealousy. The soprano tried to explain that she wasn’t interested in Merlin at all, but her older sister didn’t seem to believe her. In the end, Morgana got tired of her sister rebuffing all of her attempts to explain things to her, so the soprano just stopped trying.

 

It was a little after one when they called it for the night. Merlin offered to drive them home with his truck, and they accepted the offer graciously. They were just locking all the doors when someone called for Merlin. Much to the sisters’ horror, it was their _cousin,_ Arthur Pendragon. It turned out that Merlin and Arthur were roommates when the both of them went to New York University, back when Merlin’s late father was still alive and had helped Merlin to get into his dream university. Arthur was on a holiday after his promotional tour for his newest movie when he decided to visit his old friend. Fortunately for the girls, Arthur seemed to be too preoccupied with Merlin to notice the both of them, that they had enough time to turn back to face the pub’s door before Arthur could take a good look on them. They told Merlin to go ahead and catch up with his friend before they left something behind in the pub, and promised that they’d lock up for him. Before they could give Merlin a chance to respond, Morgause quickly snatched the pub’s key from Merlin’s hand, and dragged Morgana back into the pub.

 

 _(“Oh, so you’re going to play that card? Well, who the hell paid you when you were broke,_ sis _? Who bought you all those pretty interview suits? Who was it that took you in so you wouldn’t have to live in that dirt you called a flat? I did it all, didn’t I?“)_

_(“You did. And do you know how I wish I_ wasn’t _your sister, Gana? Just so I could quit you?”)_

 

Morgana, who always had this rivalry with Arthur about who was more successful, felt so embarrassed about having to hide herself in the middle of nowhere. She was the country’s _best_ soprano, for God’s sake. She was as prestigious as they came, probably more. She was certainly _not_ the inferior of successful actor Arthur freaking Pendragon. Also, she was just _so_ tired of all the pretending. She’d seen the news on the internet when she visited the town’s library once, knew how her parents were looking for her, and her sister. She knew that her parents even went as far as asking their arrogant brother-in-law Uther Pendragon, husband to Morgana’s aunt Ygraine, her mother’s sister. Within the circle of New York elites, it was well-known that Gorlois Lafayette _hated_ his brother-in-law, even if he and his wife adored Ygraine. It was the last string for Morgana. She was just so, _so_ sick of the life she had to deal with. It wasn’t her drugs that got her stuck in town where there were hardly any people around. It wasn’t her jerk of a boyfriend who had selfishly run away when the security searched her car. _It wasn’t her fault._ All of those thoughts that she’d been trying to hold back came full force, and that was probably the reason why she snapped.

 

There were _so many_ horrible things she and Morgause said to each other.

 

She always knew she was smarter than most people. It was something that her father always made her aware of since she was a child. Quite ironically, the only person she treated with respect, was her cousin, and only because of their rivalry that Uther and Gorlois encouraged. In a way, her father was  the reason why she grew up to be someone so calous and indifferent to people’s feelings. Morgana didn’t care much about hurting someone’s feelings. She didn’t care about _anyone –_ unless they seemed to be up to par with her. She always looked down on people who were no way as smart or as talented as she was. She considered them all a waste of space in the world. Everyon _except_ for Morgause. But ever since she became a successful _star_ , she had to admit that her attitude got worse. The bigger her name became, the more arrogant she got. The sad thing was, without really realising it, Morgana had placed her own _sister_ in the same group with all the low-lives she looked down upon.

 

_(“Mogsy – “)_

_(“If only you were as kind as you were smart, sis.”)_

The look of pure sorrow on Morgause’s face as she exited the pub broke Morgana’s heart. She knew that look would haunt her forever, even if things went back to normal. There was no way she would ever have the guts to face her sister so soon after all the mean things they said to each other, so she decided to stay the night at the pub. She’d been sitting on Merlin’s stool for almost fifteen minutes, replaying the scene of her fight with her sister over and over again. Feeling like she should do something to distract herself, she grabbed the cowboy’s guitar and began to play a familiar tune on it. It took her awhile to realise that she was playing Morgause’s favourite song, Kelly Clarkson’s _Breakaway._ The older Lafayette introduced her to the song when they were spending time in the library, checking out tons of country songs. The two of them fell in love with the song, which led Morgana to spend sometime to learn how to play the song on a guitar.

 

 _“I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly. I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky,”_ Morgana sang softly as tears began to fall from her eyes, her fingers gently pulling on the strings of the guitar to play the notes. _“And I'll make a wish, take a chance, make a change. And breakaway…”_

 

Morgana was about to sing the second part when a familiar voice sang it for her. _“Out of the darkness and into the sun. But I won't forget all the ones that I love,”_ Morgause sang, stepping out from the shadows where she’d been hiding when she decided to return after her dramatic exit.

 

“You came back,” Morgana whispered, her heart felt like bursting from all the emotion she felt. Guilt, relief, sadness, joy, and _love._ Lots and lots of love for her big sister.

 

Morgause smiled, making her way toward Morgana. She dragged a chair nearby so she could sit right next to the soprano. “Finish the song, sis. Together.”

 

“Okay,” Morgana said, feeling herself smiling as well.

 

_“I'll take a risk, take a chance, make a change. And breakaway. Breakaway…”_

As an artist who knew how expensive musical instruments were, Morgana always took good care of the instruments she was holding. But at that moment, she didn’t even care if she broke Merlin’s guitar into two when she dropped it so she could hug her sister tightly. Contrary to what most believed, the sisters had always been close, despite the five years between them. Their parents’ rather unfair treatment of the both of them didn’t become the barrier that separated them. In fact, it brought them closer. Morgana would rant about their parents’ high expectations on her, while Morgause would talk about how she wished their parents would pay a little attention to her. They rarely fought, except for the usual sisterly-fight all sisters had all over the world. The fight they just had was the first time for them to fight over something that big.

 

But they were sisters, and no matter how bad their fight was, they’d still love each other enough to forgive and forget.

“Wait, wait, wait. You’re not dropping us off at Morgause’s flat?”

 

Morgana stared at Cenred through the rear-view mirror in annoyance. “Dude, where _have_ you been? She sold the flat like, _weeks_ ago. I ain’t letting my big sis staying in that hole. She lives with me now. In my apartment. And you should consider yourself lucky because you’re allowed to stay for the night, before you scamper out off my sight in the morning.”

 

“Morgana, be nice. And Cenred, I told you I’ve mov – “

 

“ _What’s with the security checking?”_

 

“Wow, sis, I didn’t how much of a cave-man your boy is,” Morgana deadpanned. “He actually _doesn’t_ know why there’s a security-checking.”

 

“It’s perfectly normal, Cenred,” Morgause said, ignoring her sister. “Besides, the Lyric is one of the best apartment here in Upper East Side. Security checking is a must.”

 

From the rear-view mirror, Morgana watched Cenred clenched his jaw, making his angular features looked more prominent. The idiot said nothing though, merely looked out at the window in silence, an unreadable look on his face. Deciding that she wouldn’t waste her time on him, Morgana turned her attention back on her phone. There were six cars in front of them, all of them were thoroughly searched one by one. Morgause was tapping her fingers on the steering-wheel to the rhythm of her favourite song. For quite awhile, Morgana was lulled by the sound, almost tuning out everything but her sister’s gentle tapping as she scrolled through her emails about photo-shoot offers. It was the sound of the back door opening and closing that snapped her back into reality. Whipping around toward the backseat, she found that Cenred had left.

 

“What the… Where is he going?” Morgana asked.

 

“Probably the toilet,” Morgause answered.

 

But the both of them knew it was naïve to believe that.

 

“Excuse us, miss,” the muffled sound of the security came as he knocked on Morgause’s window. “We’re really sorry for the inconvenience – “

 

“Oh, it’s okay,” Morgause said, smiling. “I know it’s a standard issue.”

 

“Well, can you unlock the doors and open the trunk please, miss? Thank you very much.”

 

Everything was fine. Nothing seemed to be wrong. They’d done this countless times since she started living at the Lyric. But the moment the sniffing dog began to bark, Morgana knew she had been counting her chicken too soon. Before she knew it, the security had roughly pulled her and her sister out of the car, dragging them into their office once they had the sisters’ hands cuffed. Everything was a little bit blurry to her. There were a lot of moving bodies, surrounding her and Morgause. There was a lot of yelling too, and it took her awhile to realise she was crying.

 

Eleven pounds of cocaine. In the back seat of her car. Stuffed inside the bag that was Cenred’s.

 

That filthy, good-for-nothing, _bastard._

She was going to skin him alive the next time she saw him – if she ever.

 

 _“…but it’s not our drugs, I swear!”_ Morgause’s voice rang clearly in her ears, snapping her from her reverie. “It… It’s my boyfriend’s. The prick ran away before the checking. Officer, I swear to you, it’s not our drugs!”

 

“Yeah, that’s what they all said,” the police, who had come not long after the sisters were apprehended, snapped. “The typical lie girls like you always say.”

 

“We’re not lying,” Morgana said in a small voice. “We’re telling the truth. You _have_ to believe us.”

 

The police stared at her long and hard. Leaning back into his seat, he continued. “You two are coming with us. We’ll see whether you two are telling the truth or not.”

 

“Sir, please – “

 

“It’s not our drugs. It’s the scoundrel’s drugs and – “

 

“ – we’ve never even tried any kind of illegal drugs – “

 

“ – we come from a respectable family – “

 

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” the cop bellowed, shutting up the sisters effectively. “I don’t care if you’re related to the _President_ himself. You two are coming with us. End of story. Get moving, ladies.”

 

Morgana had heard of people talking about feeling like life coming to an end when dealing with whatever horrors life pushed in their way. She thought it was ridiculous. Much too dramatic to be true. But as she was led into the police’s car with her sister, Morgana decided that they were right.

 

Absolutely right.

_“Take me home, country road. To the place I belong…”_

 

“Please, stop. You sound like a dying frog.”

 

“Oh, sod off. I was appreciating your performance back there. John Denver would be proud.”

 

“Okay, I’m just joking, anyway. And thank you though. You’re the best fan in the world.”

 

“Yep. Your number one fan.”

 

They’d just finished their charity show, and were sitting on the porch of Merlin’s mother’s inn. It was for Mordred’s family. Just the week before, Mordred’s mother Freya, came back home. Morgause could see the resemblance between the woman and her son, who rushed into her arms the moment his eyes landed on her. They later found out that the agency the woman worked for went bankrupt. The woman was given severance pay money before she was dismissed from her work. The money was then used to buy stock index, because she was hoping the money would triple so she could pay for Billy’s tonsillectomy. But the financial crisis destroyed her hope, and the woman went back home with almost nothing. Morgause’s heart simply went out for the woman, who, like her cousin, looked younger than her actual age with their big eyes. Much to her utmost surprise, Morgana was moved as well. She was the one who suggested for them to have a charity show for the family. Morgause didn’t have the words that could explain how proud she was of her sister.

 

“So, what’s the deal between you and Merlin? Why aren’t you sneaking off behind closed doors, playing tonsil-hockey like love-sick teenagers?” Morgana asked. “I mean, I’ve given the both of you the green light. What are you waiting for?”

 

“Oh,” Morgause muttered, her smile dropping. “Him.”

 

“Yes, _him_. So, what’s wrong? Did he say something rude to you? If yes, I’m _so_ going to kick his stupid cowboy’s hide.”

 

“No, no, no. It’s not that. He didn’t do anything wrong. Well, not to me directly, at least.”

 

“What do you mean? What did he do? And don’t lie to me. He must have done something.”

 

Morgause looked at her sister for awhile, who tilted her head to the side in curiosity. It made the older Lafayette embarrassed. Burying her face in her hands, she couldn’t help but to let a groan. “Ugh, this is _so_ embarrassing.”

 

“Why? What happened?” Morgana prompted.

 

“Do you know why he’s always so cheap about your payment? And it’s not only you, actually. He treats the rest of his band mates the same way too. Your boyfriend Gwaine told me about it.”

 

“Yeah, I know. Dirty bastard only gave me _eighty_ bucks when I insisted for a raise. And by the way, Gwaine’s _not_ my boyfriend. You’re only saying that to distract me though, and it won’t work so jokes on you, sis… Now, spill. Why’s the cute bastard so cheap?”

 

“I thought he saved all that money to pay help Mordred’s family. Though some of the money does go to his cousin’s family, that’s just… Like, it’s not even a quarter of his money.”

 

“Okay… What did he use the money for then?”

 

At this point, Morgause was blushing so hard she was sure she resembled a tomato. “Half of it goes for his mother. A-and he’s taking the rest of his money with him when he…he leaves here. He’s giving all that money to his mother s-so he can be with…with the person he loves.”

 

Instantly, Morgana looked murderous. “Oh my God, he’s in a relationship already? And all this time, he’s _flirting_ with you? I am _so_ killing that ass – “

 

“No, Gana! It’s not…it’s not like that. That’s just the way he is. And actually, even if he was single, I don’t think I could ever have a chance with him.”

 

“Why the hell not? You’re pretty, and kind, and sma – “

 

“He’s playing for the home team. _His_ home team.”

 

“I’m sorry, _what?_ ”

 

Morgause sighed, making it a point to stare at her feet as she continued. “Merlin doesn’t do the girls. Hence why he’s dating Arthur.”

 

There was a pregnant silence between them. The kind of silence that made it possible to hear what was happening across the _country._ And then –

 

“OH MY GOD, THIS IS _HILARIOUS_!” Morgana boomed, laughing so hard she nearly fell over. “AND YOU HAVE CRUSH ON HIM. LIKE, YOU WERE ACTUALLY JEALOUS OF ME FOR COZYING IT UP WITH HIM. WHEN HE’S ACTUALLY ALREADY TAKEN, BY OUR _COUSIN_! _”_

“I told you it’s embarrassing,” Morgause grumbled. “And stop laughing, for God’s sake.”

 

“ _NEVER!_ HAHAHAHA!” Morgana was doubling over in laughter by now. “Damn, I should have known he doesn’t swing this way. His teeth-rotting sweetness should have me cued me in on it. And all those cute pet names, God _damn._ ”

 

“Goodness _,_ you’re right. Shit _,_ why hadn’t I thought of that? I feel _so stupid_.”

 

“Don’t you just have the _worst_ luck in choosing guys?”

 

Morgause scowled at her sister, who kept on laughing. She was about to retort something to Morgana, when she saw two sheriff cars from afar. Her insides went cold. _No._ They were coming for them. They were coming, and this time, Morgause was sure she couldn’t protect her sister anymore. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try though. Shaking Morgana roughly so she’d stop laughing, Morgause urgently said, “ _Morgana!_ Look over there! The cops are coming!”

 

Morgana’s laughter died down instantly. “Oh, crap. This is bad. This is _so_ bad.”

 

“Come on, sis. We have to go. You go take Merlin’s truck, okay? Go as far as you can from here. Once you have them off your tail, you contact me.” Morgause was pulling on Morgana’s hand, dragging the younger woman to the garage.

 

“What about you?” Morgana said, pulling her hand off Morgause’s grip. “Where are _you_ going?”

 

“I’m going to hide with Merlin. He’ll vouch for me. Now, come on. You have to go. Morgana – “

 

“No,” the raven-haired said firmly, shaking her head. “You take the truck. I’ll go get Merlin’s bike. We’ll meet again at... What about Millers Creek?”

 

“Okay…” Morgause breathed. “Millers Creek in two hours. How about that?”

 

Morgana nodded in agreement. “Okay. Now, go. I’ll see you there.”

 

“I love you, Gana. I love you _so much._ ”

 

“I love you too, Mogsy. You’re the best sister in the whole world.”

 

The two sisters hugged for what felt like a long time. Morgause heard the sirens coming closer, and she ushered her sister to hop on Merlin’ bike. Despite being the snobbish one between the of them, Morgana was the one who could drive a bike, and was actually really good at it – thanks to her childish rivalry with Arthur. Morgause noticed the tears on her sister’s face, and she gave a quick hug for the last time before Morgana left. The older Lafayette made sure her sister had gone far enough before she went back to the porch, where the sheriffs had just parked their cars. With hands trembling and tears falling profusely down her face, she lifted them all up over her head.

 

And slowly made her way toward them.

This wasn’t how Morgause pictured her life at thirty. She knew she probably wouldn’t end up as successful as her sister. At least, she thought that by the time she was thirty, she’d be happily engaged and worrying about her job interview. Never, not in a million years, had she ever thought about going to prison for a crime she didn’t commit. They’d been passed around from one car to another, being interrogated by different set of authorities. The whole ride, she could only think about how her _boyfriend’s_ betrayal hurt her. She couldn’t believe he could do that to her. _They were engaged, for flip’s sake!_ True, as she eyed the non-existant ring around her finger, it wasn’t really official yet. But Cenred _had_ popped the question to her.

 

It made his betrayal all the more terrible.

 

“Mogsy,” Morgana whispered, snapping Morgause out of her reverie. From the moment she was pushed into the first police’s car, Morgana had refused to talk to her. So it was quite surprising to her voice.

 

“Yeah?” Morgause answered. “What is – _oh no._ ”

 

Like all women in the world, she understood what the red spot tainting the inner thigh of Morgana’s jeans meant. Her big-sister instincts flared up, Morgause quickly asked the police to stop the car at a nearby supermarket. Taking off the jacket she’d been wearing from the night before, she used it to cover Morgana’s lower-half. Wordlessly, Morgana went into the toilet while Morgause went to buy some pads, some underwear and a pair of yoga pants. Paying with the money from one of the cops, who looked a little sympathic, Morgause didn’t waste her time and hurried into the toilet where Morgana had been waiting. When she found her sister crouched on the toilet-seat, crying her eyes out, Morgause suddenly felt like they were kids again. It always broke her heart to see her sister cry.

 

“Hey, hey… Don’t worry,” Morgause cooed, pulling the taller raven-haired into her arms. I’ll be with you all the time, sis. You’re not alone. I’m with you.”

 

“People with less drugs on them are executed many times in the past,” Morgana cried. “They’re going to execute us. I know it. I _know_ it.”

 

“Sshh… We’ll get there when we get there, okay? And even if we… Even if the worst happens, at least we’ll be together.”

 

 _“But, I don’t want to die, Morgause!_ I still want to do a lot of things. I’m only twenty-five!”

 

As Morgana kept on crying, Morgause knew she _had_ to do something. She had always protected her sister against everything. She promised Morgana long time ago, back when they were kids, that she would always take care of her – _and Morgause was keeping that promise._ Morgause was looking around the cramped cubicle as she kept on hugging her sister, absentmindedly stroking the soprano’s hair. Her eyes landed on the window over their heads. It was small, but she reckoned it was big enough for them to shimmy through. A little weight was lifted off her shoulders once she had figured out how to leave without encountering the cops again. The next thing she thought of was their destination. They had to go to a place where no one knew about Morgana. It had to be somewhere quite far because, since Morgana took up to modelling for a few brands, practically all of New York knew about her. But it couldn’t be _that_ far, since going by plane was simply out of question.

 

That was when a memory came to mind. A memory of one of the rare times she was spending sometime with her father. It was before her parents figured out how Morgana was so much better than she was. Morgause was only eight back then, and Morgana was only three. Their father was taking them for a walk not far from their house. He bought them ice cream before deciding they’d rest at the park nearby. Morgana probably didn’t remember it but Morgause did. She remembered how her father talked about the time he was a child himself, and had gone to Watauga Lake, Butler with his own parents, the sisters’ grandparents. It was one of their father’s favourite place to visit in all of his years. He promised that he’d take them there one day, but when his career had improved as a lawyer, the man hadn’t had the chance to fulfil that promise. He quite possibly had forgotten about it, even if Morgause hadn’t.

 

And she thanked God she hadn’t.

 

“Morgana, do you trust me? Gana, answer me,” Morgause said urgently.

 

The question really took Morgana off guard that she stopped crying instantly. “I…what?”

 

“Do you trust me, sis? Be honest.”

 

A beat, then, “Yes.”

 

Morgause smiled. “Alright then. Go get change now. Quickly.”

 

“Why?” Morgana asked incredulously as she accepted the items her sister gave her.

 

“We’re going to runaway. I promised I’d always take care of you, didn’t I?”

 

“Yes, but – “

 

“No buts. Do as I say, sis. This is me taking care of you.”

 

If there was anything that Morgause was _really_ good at, it was taking care of her baby sister.

“You’re an idiot, Morgana Lafayette.”

 

“Speak for yourself, Mogsy.”

 

Morgana let out a squeal when Morgause pinched her arm, the both of them falling into fond giggles. It had been a six months since they were _captured_. Six months since they each gave themselves up, without knowing that the other was doing the same thing. When Morgana got on Merlin’s bike that day, she’d planned on turning herself in to the authorities, unaware that her sister had done just that. So after a few hours of being interrogated by none other than the town’s sheriff named Lancelot du Lac, who was none other than Gwaine’s cousin, Morgana learned that her sister had done the exact same thing. Their reunion was bitter sweet and tearful, filled with ramblings about how sorry they were and how they were both so stupid. Lancelot later revealed that the first time he saw them was actually not long after they first arrived in Butler. But it didn’t instantly occur to him that they were the same women who were being hunted by NYPD. It was a week after Arthur’s visit that he knew who they were. It turned out that Arthur _had_ seen and recognised them that night while he talked with Merlin. But he kept quiet about it until he returned to New York, and only then did he tell the sisters’ parents about it.

 

The most shocking revelation, however, wasn’t that. The sisters later found out that just two weeks after they ran away, NYPD caught Cenred, who was going on a flight to Canada for a ‘holiday’ – as if he hadn’t just set the Lafayette sisters up. So technically, on the accounts of drug possession, the sisters were free. The only problem was, they had run away, which still counted as a criminal offence punishable by up to one year in jail. The sisters were rather lucky because they only got six months. In a way, it was also a blessing in disguise because Morgana really didn’t want to deal with the press for a long time. But before she got locked up, she released a statement, telling the truth about the chronologies of what had happened. Not a lot of people believed her, some even suspected she paid NYPD to get the charges dropped. It resulted in a really bad reputation for her. She didn’t really care about it. If she was to be honest though, the press was her least of her concern. Her parents though, it was another story.

 

When the Lafayette couple finally visited their daughters, they seemed dead set on blaming everything on their eldest daughter. They were taken aback when Morgana stood up for her sister, saying that it wasn’t Morgause’s fault at all. It took sometime, but their parents finally believed them. During their stay in prison, they got a lot of visitors other than their parents. Their most notable visitors were none other than Merlin and Mordred, who were given quite enough money by the sisters’ parents for helping their daughters. Twice Gwaine tagged along with them, saying that he was coming because he wanted to continue his ‘secret affair’ with Morgana. Once, Arthur came too, which made things extremely awkward for Merlin and Morgause. Thank goodness little Mordred was there to cheer everyone up. She had to admit it, Morgana kind of missed the boy’s obnoxious antics.

 

“Miss Lafayette, are you ready?” a prison guard said, a woman in her mid-fifties called Officer Annis. She was quite nice, although a little bit strict.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Morgana quickly said. “Are the others outside already?”

 

“Yeah, they are,” Officer Annis said. Turning to Morgause, she said, “Miss Lafayette, do you need help with the music?”

 

“Nope. I just need to choose which one,” Morgause said. To her sister, she said, “What do you want to sing, sis? Your pick.”

 

“I miss Butler,” Morgana said with a small smile. “What about Mordred’s song?”

 

Morgause smiled. “Excellent choice.”

 

They all got out side, to the basketball pitch where all of their inmates had been waiting. Morgause went off to set the music, while Morgana made her way onto the stage. Since they got there, Morgana made it a thing to sing to the inmates once a month. The first time she sang, she’d never felt so much joy seeing the grins on everyone’s faces, inmates and guards alike. It would be the last time for her to sing to them, seeing that they were going to be released in a week. That was why she decided that her last show in Taconic Correctional Facility for Women would be the _best_ show in all of her months spent there. Getting onto the stage with a huge smile on her face, she waved at all the women around her, who cheered loudly.

 

“Hey, ladies,” Morgana greeted cheerfully. “Seeing that this will be my last time singing for all of you, I’m going to make this night special. I want you all to promise me that you’ll sing and dance with me, okay? Say I promise, ladies.”

 

“Promise,” all the women chorused, even the guards.

 

“Okay then. The song is a favourite song of my little friend whom I met back in Butler. It’s one of the songs for _Hannah Montana: The Movie_ , a mix between country and hip hop.

 

“My niece likes that movie,” one of the inmates yelled. “Cheesy as hell, but the songs are good.”

 

“What do you know about good music, Nimueh?” another inmates quipped, earning a round of laughter from everyone.

 

“As if you knew it too,” Nimueh yelled back, mock-glaring.

 

Morgana laughed along with everyone else. “Well, I hope you like this one. It’s called _Hoedown Throwdown._ And it goes like this… _Boom clap. Boom de clap de clap. Boom-boom clap. Boom de clap de clap._ Come on, ladies. Clap your hands with me, alright? And hit the music, sis. _”_

Morgana watched them all clapped along with her, her smile widening in epic proportion when she caught even her sister was doing it as well. “ _Boom clap. Boom de clap de clap. Boom-boom clap. Boom de clap de clap._ Yep, that’s right.”

 

 _“One, two, three. Everybody come on off your seats. I'm gonna tell you bout a beat. That's gonna make you move your feet.”_ Coming to the edge of the stage, Morgana gave her hand to Morgause, who looked like a little surprised. “Come on, Mogsy. Sing with me.”

 

“ _I'll give the barbecue. Show and tell you how to move. If you're 5 or 82. This is something you can do.”_ As she pulled her sister onto the stage, she told her audience to dance with her.

 

“Okay, everyone up on their feet? That’s right. Follow me, okay? You too, sis.”

 

“Roger, Gana,” Morgause said, grinning from ear to ear.

 

_“Pop it, lock it, polka-dot it. Countrify it then hip-hop it. Put your hawk in the sky. And move side-to-side. Jump to the left, stick it, glide.”_

– THE END –


End file.
